Conversations Between Mothers
by Rae325
Summary: The last thing Charlotte King ever thought she would be was someone's mother.
1. Chapter 1

This story is the first in a series of short conversations between Charlotte and other mothers. I'm planning a story with Cooper's mother, Charlotte's mother, and Amelia. If you have other requests or ideas, let me know.

This vignette picks up at the end of "The Letting Go."

* * *

"I'm not looking forward to the rest of my life," Erica tells Charlotte, who pats Erica's leg gently, trying to comfort this woman facing the unimaginable.

"Is there someone you want me to call? An aunt, or a cousin, or a friend? I'm happy to make arrangements for anyone who—"

"I don't have anyone."

"That's just not true," Charlotte tells Erica, squeezing her hand. Charlotte lets the silence surround them for a moment before reassuring Erica, "I will be here Erica. Whatever you need."

"Thank you." Erica says, surprisingly comforted by Charlotte's presence.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Charlotte asks.

"You don't need to do that."

"I'd like to. I just need to go home first. I promised Mason."

"Is he…ok?" Erica knows Mason isn't ok, but he hadn't shed a tear earlier, he'd been so calm and composed.

"He wanted to be strong for you." Charlotte tells Erica. Erica's heart breaks for her son. She wants to go to him, to hold him, to comfort him. But she'd decided not to see him again, and soon it won't be an option for Erica to take care of her son. She can feel the tears burning her eyes, and before she can get lost in her thoughts Erica feels Charlotte's hand squeeze her own.

When Erica looks up, she sees that Charlotte's eyes are glassy too. "I promise you," Charlotte starts, a lump already in her throat, "Coop and I will take care of Mason. We will help him through this." Charlotte doesn't know how she'll get Mason through losing his mother, but she does know that she will do everything in her power to help him. Charlotte is fighting back tears at the memory of Mason breaking down after saying goodbye to his mom.

Erica had been right, Charlotte knows now; Mason will need her. He already does. She feels the fear gripping her chest. From the moment Amelia had told her Erica's prognosis, Charlotte had acted on instinct. She'd been taking care of everyone around her the best she could: trying to be a comfort, trying to get them through each moment. But now, sitting down for the first time today, Charlotte is overwhelmed by the weight of what she's about to take on. She doesn't know how she will get Mason through this, doesn't know how she will ever be the mother Mason needs her to be.

"I know that look," Erica comments. Charlotte smiles at Erica questionly. "You look terrified. I'm sure I had that same expression on my face when I found out I was pregnant."

Charlotte doesn't want Erica to worry for a minute that Mason won't be cared for and loved. "Erica—"

"It's a frightening thing being a mother. I didn't think I could do it, but the first time I held Mason, I fell in love." Erica gets lost in the memory for a moment.

Charlotte's phone rings: it's Cooper. "I'm sorry," Charlotte apologizes, answering her phone, wanting to make sure everything is ok.

"Hey Coop." Charlotte stands up.

The voice that greets Charlotte isn't Cooper's, however. "Hi Charlotte. It's Mason."

"I know who you are sweetie." She tells him. "Are you ok?"

"I just wanted to see when you're coming home." His voice has the faint hint of tears beginning again.

"I'll be there soon," Charlotte tells him warmly. Erica can just make out her son's voice on the other end of the phone. It's a strange feeling, watching another woman become her son's mother, hearing Mason look to Charlotte for comfort.

Charlotte turns to Erica, extending the phone slightly in her direction. Charlotte's pretty sure that Erica won't want to talk to Mason, but she wants to make sure. It takes all Erica's strength to shake her head, but she does. Charlotte hears Mason's voice on the other end, "How soon?"

"I'm leaving in a few minutes, ok?"

"Ok."

"Hang in there, honey. I love you." Charlotte hangs up the phone and sits back on the side of the hospital bed.

"Go. Mason needs you," Erica tells Charlotte.

Erica's crying, and Charlotte worries that maybe Erica thinks that Charlotte is trying to replace her, is too close to Mason too soon. "I know I'm not his momma," Charlotte reassures Erica, "but I promise you I will always love Mason just the same as if he were mine."

"He is yours," Erica tells Charlotte. "You already promised me, you'd be his living mom."

"I will be," Charlotte tells Erica, and Erica can see the fear creeping in again.

"I'm so happy Mason has you Charlotte. I really thought you were a bitch at first." Charlotte laughs, completely caught off guard by Erica's comment. "But there isn't anyone I'd trust more to raise Mason."

Charlotte squeezes Erica's hand. "I'm going to go home and spend some time with Mase, tuck him into bed, and then I'll come back here, ok?"

"If Mason wants you to stay with him, then you'll do that though, right?"

"Of course. Is it ok for me to tell him that I'm going to be at the hospital with you?" Erica thinks a moment. "He's worried about you Erica; he doesn't want you to be scared and alone."

"Ok."

Charlotte stands to leave, "I'll see you later. If you need anything, you just call."

"Thank you Charlotte."

"You don't need to thank me."

Charlotte spends the drive home repeating Erica's words in her head. _She trusts me to raise her son_, Charlotte thinks incredulously. Then Charlotte mentally corrects herself, _our son. He's both of ours now._


	2. Chapter 2

Set the summer after season five. Charlotte, Cooper, and Mason take a trip to Alabama.

* * *

When Charlotte's baby brother Duke calls to tell her that he's getting married, that he'd knocked up his girlfriend of five years, Charlotte can't wait to go down to Alabama to witness an event that no one in her family thought would ever happen. But her excitement is tempered by her concern about Mason meeting her family. She hopes that her family treats Mason like her child, that they accept that he is her son, but after the debacle that was her own wedding, Charlotte doesn't hold out too much hope for the perfect family reunion.

* * *

Charlotte and Cooper are grabbing their luggage at the airport when Duke spots them. "Charlie!" he exclaims, running at his sister and pulling her into a hug that lifts her off the ground.

Duke sets his sister down and turns to Cooper, offering his brother-in-law a hearty handshake. "Good to see you again."

"You too," Cooper tells Duke. "Congratulations."

"Duke," Charlotte says, her arm wrapped around Mason's shoulder, "This is my son Mason." Cooper studies his wife and son; they both have matching grins on their faces. Charlotte is so adorably proud to show off their son, and Mason seems thrilled by his momma's pride.

Mason holds out his hand politely, "It's nice to meet you."

"Good to meet you Mason." Duke says, genuinely. He and Charlotte have always been close; hell, she'd practically raised him. Charlotte is seven years Duke's senior, and with a mother who'd spent most of his childhood locked away in her room with a glass of bourbon, the closest thing Duke had to a mother had been his sister.

The four of them walk out to Duke's truck. "Just toss your luggage in the back," he tells Charlotte and Cooper. "Mason, have you ever ridden in the back of a truck?"

Mason shakes his head no, and he looks caught between thinking that sounds like a crazy idea and thinking it sounds like the coolest idea he's heard in a long time. Charlotte needs to nip this in the bud right away. "And he most certainly is not going to," she tells her brother, before turning to her son. "You hear me, Mase? Seatbelt. Your uncle Duke is a bad influence."

"Okay, Momma." Mason says, rolling his eyes.

Charlotte smiles, tells Mason, "Hop in the backseat. I'll narrate a tour of town on our way." This might seem like a boring appeasement to most kids, but Mason has been asking Charlotte constant questions about her family and her childhood since she told him they were going to Alabama. So to Mason, getting to hear his momma's stories sounds like way more fun than riding in the back of the pickup truck.

Mason slides in the backseat, and once he's out of earshot, Cooper whispers to his wife, "That went well. Maybe you were worried for nothing."

Charlotte lets out a wry chuckle, "We haven't seen my momma yet. Just wait." Cooper puts a comforting hand on her back for a moment, before Charlotte gets in the back seat of the truck with Mason, and the group starts on their drive to Charlotte's childhood home.

* * *

Charlotte, Cooper, and Mason had barely seen Charlotte's mother the evening they'd arrived. After Duke had dropped them off, Augusta had offered a brusque hello, and excused herself to her room, saying she wasn't feeling too well. Charlotte had taken the opportunity to show her husband and son around her family's property. They'd gone horseback riding, and Mason had had so much fun, Charlotte had begun to be concerned that he'd be asking for a horse pretty soon.

The next morning, Charlotte, Cooper, and Mason are in the kitchen watching the Kings' housekeeper, Bernie, cook breakfast. Mason had asked Bernie to teach him how to make the fritters she'd given them the previous evening, and she had happily obliged. Bernie had worked for the Kings for years, and she'd known Charlotte since she was born. Bernie was very much enjoying watching the spunky, bossy little girl she once knew all grown up with a family of her own.

Augusta walks into the kitchen while Bernie and Mason are finishing preparing the fritter dough. Augusta sets an empty glass down next to Bernie, silently asking for another drink. "Duke and Michelle are going to be here soon," Bernie says, by way of suggesting that perhaps Augusta doesn't need another drink.

"All the more reason. I have to be nice to that little slut carrying my son's bastard."

"Momma!" Charlotte exclaims, glancing at Mason. He seems to still be happily occupied by cooking, but she isn't sure if he's just trying to ignore her drunk mother. Charlotte grabs Augusta's arm, "Come take a walk with me," Charlotte says, leading her mother from the room.

Charlotte walks her mother outside to the back porch so she can be sure that Mason won't overhear the conversation. "I can't believe you just said that in front of Mason." Charlotte is furious. Her mother had barely acknowledged Mason last night, and now this.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about him," Augusta says, brushing off her daughter's upset.

"You called Michelle a slut for being in the same situation Mason's mom was in. And you called your future grandchild a bastard. I can't believe…" Charlotte shakes her head, tries to calm herself down. "I don't ever want to hear you talk like that in front of my son again."

"When did you become so delicate?"

"When I became a mother. I have a child that I need to protect. I just wish he didn't need protecting from my own mother."

"You're being dramatic baby girl."

"I'm not. And I am not joking. You will never speak like that in front of Mason again." Charlotte takes a deep breath. This is exactly what she was afraid of having happen on this trip: her momma being drunk and saying something hurtful. When Augusta was drinking you never knew what you would get. Charlotte remembers as a small child almost wishing for her mother to drink, because sometimes that meant her normally cold and reserved mother would show her some affection. The only time Charlotte can remember her mother telling her she loved her or wrapping her in a hug was when she had been drunk.

Charlotte looks at her momma now, and despite her anger, there's a feeling of pity and sadness that starts to set in. Even though she'd had three children, Augusta had never experienced what Charlotte has in the last few months. The all-consuming love that Charlotte has for Mason, the overwhelming joy that she feels when she's with her son. Her mother never had that, and right now, that doesn't make Charlotte feel resentful for what she didn't have as a child, it just makes her deeply sad for her mother. Her tone softening, Charlotte urges, "Come on, Momma. Why don't we get you back into bed? Give you a chance to sober up before Duke and Michelle get here." Augusta nods, and Charlotte takes her arm and leads her back into the house.

Cooper watches as Charlotte walks by, slightly supporting her mother as they start up the stairs. "Charlotte's always been the only one Augusta would listen to besides Big Daddy," Augusta tells Cooper.

Cooper takes a second to think just how strange it is that even the housekeeper called Charlotte's father Big Daddy, before his thoughts move back to Charlotte's childhood. "Was Augusta like that when Charlotte was little?" Bernie gives a nod, and Cooper's heart just breaks for his wife. He wants to find her and hold her and somehow love her enough to make up for the years that no one took care of her.

Charlotte walks back into the kitchen a moment later. "Did Mason say anything about what my momma said?" she asks her husband. Cooper mentally kicks himself. He barely thought about Mason, and here Charlotte is taking care of everyone. He shakes his hear no and wraps his arm around Charlotte's waist. "What do I say to him?" Charlotte asks, looking so upset, as she stands there watching Mason.

Charlotte pulls away from Cooper and walks over to her son. "Mase," she says, after he finishes helping drop the last of the dough in the oil. "Can we talk for a minute while those cook?" Mason turns to Charlotte, and she runs her hand over his hair and guides him to the window seat where they can sit together.

"I'm sorry you had to hear what my momma said."

"It's ok," Mason shrugs.

"No, it's not. It was hurtful and untrue," Charlotte tells Mason, running her hand up and down his arm.

Mason really isn't too fazed by what Augusta had said. He'd grown up with a single mother, so this isn't the first time he's hear these kind of comments. But there is something else on his mind. "Does your momma always drink that much?"

Charlotte nods. "She's an alcoholic," she tells her him. It's something her family doesn't acknowledge out loud, but Charlotte will not lie to her son.

"I'm sorry Momma." Charlotte slides closer so that she can pull Mason into her side. She wraps her arm around him and kisses his hair.

"_I'm_ sorry sweetie. I wanted you to get to know my family because they're your family now too. But I didn't want you to see my momma behaving like that or saying such awful things."

"It's ok Momma. I promise."

"I love you," Charlotte tells Mason with a smile. "If anyone says or does anything that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me, alright?"

"Mmmhmm. Don't worry." Charlotte laughs a little at that.

Cooper watches them, and marvels at how Charlotte has created this relationship where Mason feels able to talk to her about anything. Cooper knows that Charlotte struggled to open up to Cooper, needed to learn to trust in a way she never had before. Being in this house makes it abundantly clear why Charlotte was so guarded when he'd first met her. As scared as Cooper knows she'd been at first, Charlotte has opened her heart to Cooper and then to Mason so completely. Cooper knows that Charlotte will always make sure that Mason has what she didn't, will always make sure that he feels loved and safe to talk to her about what he's feeling.

Charlotte gives Mason a little squeeze. "You better start eating those fritters," she tells him. "They're best when they're hot."

Mason scampers off towards breakfast, and Charlotte stands up and takes a deep breath. Cooper walks over and wraps his arms around her. He can't help himself—he needs to hold her. "I love you so much Charlotte," he tells her. "So, so, so much."

"I love you," Charlotte replies, reaching up for a kiss, before dragging Cooper along to grab some fritters before Mason eats them all.

* * *

Lunch with Duke and Michelle had been mercifully uneventful. After Michelle and Duke had left to attend to last minute wedding planning, Charlotte had suggested to Cooper and Mason that they take a bike ride down to the river.

Charlotte and Cooper are sitting on the dock watching Mason swim. Cooper has his arm wrapped around Charlotte's shoulder, and she's curled against his side. She's smiling. She hasn't stopped smiling since they sat down. "You look happy," Cooper tells her.

"Mmmhmm." Cooper chuckles at her lazy response.

"Any reason?"

"You. Mason. Do I need another reason?"

Before Cooper can respond, Mason yells, "Momma. You promised you'd get in the water."

"We're coming," Charlotte yells back, standing up.

"We?" Cooper asks.

"Yes, we," Charlotte tells him, as she takes off her shirt and shorts to reveal her bikini.

"You should not be allowed to wear something like that when we're with Mason."

Charlotte smiles seductively at Cooper. "I'll make it up to you tonight," she promises, before diving in.


	3. Chapter 3

They say recovery is one day at a time, but Amelia doesn't know how she can even make it through this minute.

This story is also set the summer after season 5. Warning: this chapter contains a non-graphic discussion of rape.

* * *

It's 11 a.m. on a Thursday morning and Charlotte King is not in her office. Instead she's sitting on the couch in the living room of her new house watching Pokémon. Mason is fast asleep, his head resting on a pillow on her lap. He had spent the whole night throwing up, and is finally getting a few hours of sleep. Charlotte stares at the remote control sitting a few feet from her on the coffee table, as though willing it towards her. She can't move to get the controls without disturbing Mason, so she's stuck learning far more about the world of Japanese animation than she even wanted. At least, she figures, Mason will appreciate her new knowledge.

Charlotte's starting to doze off herself when Mason stirs against her. "Hey sweetie," Charlotte says, rubbing his arm gently as Mason picks up his head to look at his momma. He immediately feels sick and runs to the bathroom. "Right behind you," Charlotte tells Mason, following him to the bathroom.

Charlotte sits down on the floor next to Mason, rubbing soft circles on his back as he throws up. When he's done, Charlotte stands and fills a cup of water. She sits back down with Mason as he sips the water slowly. Mason leans his head against her shoulder and Charlotte places a gentle kiss on his forehead. "You're burning up." Mason whines and buries his face in Charlotte's neck.

He's been clingy with Charlotte lately. The move had seemed to be the start of it – one more change in a year full of upheaval – but their family had definitely outgrown Cooper's old bachelor pad loft. Charlotte and Cooper had been concerned about Mason's regression with Charlotte. He'd started wanting to crawl onto her lap when he was upset, to have her wash his hair when he'd take a bath. Charlotte had asked Sheldon about it, and he'd told her it was nothing to worry about. Mason was asking her to do the things that a mother does for a small child, was working through having another mother in his life. As long as it was healthy for Mason, Charlotte was happy to rock Mason to sleep and baby him when he felt sick.

"Are you feeling better now or should we keep sitting here?" Charlotte asks Mason a few minutes later.

"Better. Is the Pokémon marathon still on?"

"Sure is. And you fell asleep and left me watching it myself," Charlotte tells Mason, standing up and extending a hand to help Mason up. She pulls Mason off the floor, and they head back to the couch to continue the marathon.

* * *

It doesn't take too long for Mason to fall asleep again. Charlotte had remembered to keep the remote close to her this time, so she's turned off the television and is reading her book when her cellphone rings. She silences her phone, extricates herself from under Mason, lays his head gently on the couch, checks and makes sure he's still asleep (he is; luckily Mason inherited Cooper's ability to sleep through just about anything), and hurries out of the room to answer the phone.

"Hello," Charlotte says, standing in the kitchen so she can keep an eye on Mason while she talks. She knows it's irrational to refuse to let Mason out of her sight. He's nine, he just has a stomach virus, and he would call Charlotte if he needed her. But God help her, Charlotte has become an overprotective, worried, first time parent (much to Cooper's endless amusement).

"Charlotte," Amelia's voice is soft and raspy on the other end of the phone. She sounds lost and desperate.

Charlotte doesn't ask if Amelia is ok; she knows the answer. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the pier," Amelia tells her. Charlotte knows that what her friend means is that she's gone to her dealer.

"Did you take anything?"

"No," Amelia whispers, the _not yet_ remaining unsaid.

Charlotte racks her brain for a meeting right now that she can tell Amelia to go to, but the soonest one she knows of is in an hour. "Can you drive here Amelia? I'd come get you, but I can't leave Mason and I'm afraid he'll be puking the whole ride."

"Yeah," Amelia confirms, "Can you just stay on the phone with me until I get there?"

"Of course."

* * *

The drive is only ten minutes long, but it feels like an eternity to Amelia. The pills she'd bought are tucked away in her purse, but she can feel them calling to her. It would be so easy to take one, just to dampen everything she's feeling. But Charlotte's on speakerphone – she's yapping away about how complicated Pokémon is to pass the time – and her voice focuses Amelia.

Charlotte opens the door when Amelia pulls into the driveway. Charlotte knows the look on Amelia's face, knows the feeling behind it. Amelia is so close to using, wants to drown out her pain so badly. Charlotte wraps an arm around her friend and guides Amelia to the back deck. Charlotte sits facing the sliding glass door to the living room so she can keep an eye on Mason.

Amelia mentally debates for a minute whether she should tell Charlotte that she has oxy in her bag. She wants to keep the safety net there in case talking to Charlotte doesn't ease the pain, doesn't dial her craving back to a manageable level. But, what the hell is she doing here if she isn't going to be honest with Charlotte. Amelia reaches into her purse and silently hands the bag of pills to Charlotte. "I'll be right back," Charlotte tells Amelia, walking into the house quietly.

Charlotte walks into the bathroom just off the living room, wanting to get the pills out of her hands as quickly as possible. Once she's flushed them down the toilet, Charlotte lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She walks back through the living room, takes a few seconds to stare at her son. Mason is the best reason Charlotte can imagine to stay clean.

When Charlotte walks back outside she finds Amelia pacing back and forth on the deck. "Did something happen today?" Charlotte asks.

"I had a patient come in with her baby – this beautiful little boy who was born on the same day as my baby. It's so unfair Charlotte."

"I know."

"Her baby was smiling, and she was so happy. I was fine this morning. I was fine."

Charlotte knows this game. Trying to be fine. Pretending to yourself and the world that you're ok, even when you are about to come apart at the seams. "You don't need to try to be fine. Your baby died, and you need to grieve that."

"I can't. It's too much." Amelia tells Charlotte, sitting back down at the table again.

"I can't imagine what it feels like to lose a child," Charlotte tells Amelia. The thought makes Charlotte feel sick, makes her want to run inside and hold Mason close. "But I do know what it feels like to try to keep all your pain inside and to have it build until you think it's going to swallow you whole. We both know where that leads. I've been there Amelia – tempted to throw away everything I've worked for just to make the pain stop. You know that. You helped me through it."

Amelia wants to ask how the hell Charlotte stayed clean after she was raped. Amelia had been impressed by Charlotte's strength then, but now, Amelia can't imagine how her friend did it. The last time Amelia had said anything to Charlotte about the rape, it had been to hurt Charlotte. A weak attack when Amelia had been coming down and lashing out at everyone around her.

"You can do this Amelia. You can get through this minute. Don't think any further ahead than that." Charlotte takes Amelia's hand. "There's a meeting at one. I can call Coop and try to get him to stay with Mason so we can go together."

Amelia wishes she got as much from meetings as Charlotte does. Meetings always seem to steady Charlotte. She leaves feeling clearer, stronger. "Can I just stay here for a while?" Amelia asks.

"Sure." Charlotte is happy to do whatever her friend needs. Charlotte takes Amelia's hand, "take a deep breath." They sit there a few moments just breathing together. "You are strong enough to get through this Amelia."

Amelia shakes her head. Strong is the last thing she feels right now. Tears are burning her eyes, a sob bubbling up in her throat. Amelia is struggling to hold the tears at bay. Charlotte puts a hand on her friend's back, "You can't keep this all inside."

"If I start crying, Charlotte, I don't know that I'll be able to stop. I'm not ready for that. I'm not." Amelia says, pulling away from Charlotte. Amelia starts pacing the deck again, anxious, on edge. "How did you make it through what happened to you without using?" she asks, turning to look at Charlotte.

It's still painful for Charlotte to talk about being raped. It still brings back images that Charlotte wishes she could erase from her mind. But if sharing this will help Amelia, Charlotte will do it. "You know how hard I tried not to really deal with being raped. But keeping it all inside was unbearable and lonely." Amelia looks at Charlotte knowingly. She feels so alone right now. "It took time to be able to be open with Cooper about what I was feeling, but once I got there, it helped a lot. Even if he couldn't understand what it means to be an addict or what I was going through after the attack, just having someone I could be completely open with helped me work through what I was feeling."

Cooper had done so much to help Charlotte through the aftermath of her rape. He hadn't fixed things, hadn't saved her, like she knows he wished he could. But Cooper had provided Charlotte with a space where she felt truly loved and accepted, and that had given her the safety and support to work through what had happened to her.

"I needed to deal with the rape," Charlotte tells Amelia, "the cravings didn't ease until the pain did. And until I got there, I went to a lot of meetings, I ran far more than my legs would have liked, and I spent some serious time at the shooting range." Amelia laughs a bit at this. She feels just the tiniest bit lighter knowing her friend understands some of what she's feeling.

Mason walks outside then. Charlotte knows it's hard for Amelia to see Charlotte and Mason together, that it's a reminder of what Amelia will never get to have with her son. Mason sits down on his momma's lap and she wraps her arms around him. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"A little better."

"Don't need to puke again?" Mason shakes his head. "Good," Charlotte says, kissing the side of Mason's head.

Mason notices that Amelia looks sad and like she's about to cry. "Are you ok, Amelia?" Mason asks her.

"I'm ok. Thanks Mason."

Mason's parents had told him about Amelia's baby, and he's sure that's why she looks so sad. "Are you sad about your baby?" he asks her. Charlotte thinks it might be time for a follow up conversation with Mason about the importance of talking about things. Maybe she should have mentioned that there are personal questions that it's really only ok to ask people in your family.

But Amelia doesn't seem bothered by Mason's question. She sits back at the table. "Yeah, I was thinking about him today and that made me sad," she tells Mason.

"It gets better. Even though you don't think it will." Charlotte thinks about how unfair it is that Mason knows grief like that. But she is so proud of him – he's so empathic and strong.

Amelia smiles at Mason. He's a good kid, and though he and Charlotte don't share DNA, they both are tough and compassionate and seem to have a way of cutting right to the core of what Amelia is feeling. "My momma's really good at taking care of people when they're sad," Mason offers. "It's good that you came over."

Amelia smiles at Mason. He seems at once to be a child who believes his momma can make everything better and an old soul who understands just how much pain the world can dish out. Or maybe he's just saying the same thing that Charlotte had: the only way through the pain is to have someone who will take care of you for a while.

"We can make you hot chocolate and we can all watch a movie together," Mason suggests. It's what Charlotte does for him on days when he doesn't want to talk, but needs a snuggle from his momma. Amelia's not sure how she will make it through her grief, how she'll string together another decade of sobriety, but for this minute, she think, maybe this will be enough. Maybe sitting with two people who understand pain and grief, two people who care about her, will be enough to get her through right now.


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the last chapter. Charlotte, Cooper, and Mason take a trip to Akron for Thanksgiving.

Thanks to everyone who read, and an extra big thanks to those of you who reviewed. Your feedback is very much appreciated!

* * *

Leah Freedman wakes up to the sounds of giggling coming from her living room. It's been a long time since she's had a child living in her house, but the noise transports her back immediately. She glances at the clock on her bedside table – 4: 38 a.m. As she's gotten older, Leah's begun waking at increasingly early hours. She's learned that there's no point staying in bed – all it will accomplish is waking her husband as well.

Leah wraps herself in her robe and walks out to the living room where she finds her daughter-in-law and her grandson sitting on the couch. There's some ridiculous infomercial on the television, and Charlotte seems to have muted the sound and begun adding her own lines over the picture. Charlotte's arm is wrapped around Mason, who is smiling for the first time since arriving in Akron the previous day.

Charlotte hears footsteps and turns slightly to see Cooper's mother walking into the room. "Did we wake you? We were trying to be quiet."

"Oh, no. I'm a very early riser these days. I did hear all the laughing though," she says turning to Mason. "I wanted to see what all the excitement was."

Mason just shrugs, and Charlotte looks at her mother-in-law apologetically. Mason had told Charlotte when he'd woken her a couple hours ago after a nightmare, that he was having a hard time spending his first Thanksgiving without Erica with so many new family members that he barely knew. Charlotte had felt awful that she hadn't pressed Mason harder when he'd told her and Cooper that it was fine if they spent the holiday in Ohio.

Leah can see that she's making her grandson uncomfortable, so she decides to leave the room and give Charlotte and Mason more time alone. "I'm going to make a pot of coffee. Mason, do you want anything to drink? Your dad used to love my cocoa."

"No, thank you." Mason tells her.

Mason lets out a yawn as he puts his head down on Charlotte's shoulder. "Are you getting tired, honey?" Charlotte asks. They've been awake since 3 a.m., and Charlotte would like Mason to get a little sleep before the big Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow.

"I don't want to go back to bed. Can you stay with me a little longer? Please." When Mason looks at Charlotte, he seems young and fragile and like he is just begging her to make it all ok.

Mason had been doing well in the past few months. The family had settled into their new home, and Mason had started forth grade uneventfully. Overall, he had been getting back to being a happy, funny little boy. But he still has days when he is sad or angry, and when Charlotte and Cooper's hearts break with their inability to make everything better for their son.

"Of course, Mase," Charlotte tells him, grabbing a pillow. "Why don't you lie down?" She coaxes Mason, laying the pillow on her lap. Mason lies down on his side so he's facing Charlotte. She runs her fingers through his hair softly.

"Thanks for staying up with me. I'm sorry you're going to be tired tomorrow." Charlotte is still impressed by what a sweet and considerate kid Mason is.

"You don't ever need to thank me, ya hear? I'm your momma. I'm always going to take care of you, sweetheart."

"I know that."

"Good." Charlotte leans down and kisses Mason's forehead. Charlotte grabs the throw blanket from the back of the couch and covers Mason. She rubs her hand up and down Mason's arm trying to soothe him.

"I love you, Momma." Mason tells Charlotte a minute later, sounding half asleep already.

"I love you too Mason." Charlotte keeps caressing Mason's arm gently, reminding him that she's there as he closes his eyes and finally lets himself sleep.

Leah doesn't approve of eavesdropping. Not at all. But she tells herself that she has a responsibility as a good mother and as a good grandmother to make sure that Charlotte is taking proper care of Cooper and Mason. As she watches the scene in front of her though she has to admit that Charlotte seems like a good mother. It's easy to see that Charlotte adores Mason, and that he loves and trusts her.

Leah walks back into the living room and sits down on the lounge chair next to where Charlotte is sitting. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" she whispers.

Charlotte looks at Mason. His breathing is deep and even, and she knows that moving won't wake him. "That sounds great," Charlotte tells Leah as Charlotte gets up and lays Mason's head on the pillow on the couch. Charlotte can't go back to bed when she's promised Mason that she would stay with him, and there's no way she'll get any quality sleep on the couch. She might as well get some caffeine in her and try to work on her relationship with her mother-in-law.

Charlotte follows Leah into the kitchen. "Mason sleeps like a rock, huh?" the older woman asks.

"Just like Coop," Charlotte tells her.

"I always thought that was my gift for surviving colic with him as a baby." Charlotte smiles. She has to admit, it would be nice to have a mother-in-law she was friendly enough with that she could get the dirt on Cooper. Right now, Cooper has the upper hand. Charlotte's brothers like Cooper and have no qualms about sharing embarrassing stories about their big sister.

"How do you take your coffee?" Leah asks, filling a mug for Charlotte.

"Black's fine. Thank you."

"What time did Mason wake you?"

Charlotte takes a sip of the coffee. It's strong and bitter and extremely necessary right now. "Three."

"Did he have a bad dream?" Leah asks. Cooper's told her so many great things about Mason, but unfortunately both times she'd met Mason he'd been upset and withdrawn.

"Yeah," Charlotte tells her, taking another long gulp of her coffee. "I think the holidays are going to be a rough time for him."

"It was nice to hear him laugh before."

"Yeah," Charlotte replies sadly. She loves the sound of Mason's laugh, and it breaks her heart to need to work so hard to get a giggle from him. She reminds herself that this will pass, that things will continue to get better for Mason.

Leah can tell that Charlotte is hurting. It's written all over her face. "You're doing a good job with him." Charlotte looks up from her coffee, shocked. "Mason obviously loves you and feels safe with you, Charlotte. He thinks of you as his mother. That should tell you that you're doing the right thing for him."

Charlotte is touched by Leah's compliment. "Thank you." They settle into silence for a moment. Charlotte feels slightly more at ease with her mother-in-law now, so she figures she should try to give the apology that she couldn't quite manage to articulate during the short time she had spent with Cooper's parents before her wedding. "Mrs. Freedman," she starts. They don't feel close enough to use first names, and Charlotte's parents had taught her to address her elders either by their last names or as _sir_ or _ma'am_. "I know that the two of us didn't get off to a good start."

Leah won't deny this. Despite offering her daughter-in-law reassurance about her parenting of Mason, Leah maintains her skepticism about her son's choice of wife. "But I want you to know," Charlotte continues, "that I love Cooper and Mason more than I can say, and I will never do anything to intentionally hurt them."

"You've hurt Cooper before," Leah reminds the younger woman.

"I know, and I am grateful everyday that Cooper forgave me and that I have him. I understand why it's hard for you to trust me, but I hope that we can try to start over, because whether you like it or not, we're family. What I want most in the world is to make Cooper and Mason happy, and that's what I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to do." Charlotte wouldn't normally do this – open herself up to a near stranger (or really most anyone besides Cooper) – but she knows how much it means to Cooper that his family like her.

Leah considers what Charlotte's said. Cooper's phone calls since he'd gotten married had left Leah with the sense that her son was extremely happy. Plus, Leah thinks, Charlotte has embraced Cooper's child. Leah's not sure how she would react if her husband surprised her with a kid from a one-night stand. Charlotte seems sincere, and watching her and Cooper together makes Leah feel pretty sure that the couple is incredibly in love. "Call me Leah," she tells Charlotte finally.

Charlotte nods and smiles. Small steps, she figures.

"I've been meaning to dig through my old photo albums. Want to help me?" Leah asks.

A mother-in-law who doesn't hate her _and_ a chance to see adorably embarrassing pictures of her husband as a child: not bad progress for a morning.

* * *

Charlotte is watching Mason and the other kids play on the swing set in the Freedmans' yard following dinner. Mason looks happy. He's helping his baby cousin down the slide. Sometimes, when Charlotte stops and thinks about her life, she can't believe they've gotten here. She can't believe that Mason thinks of her as his momma. She can't believe how much she loves this child, can't believe that she is a mother.

When she really thinks back, she can't believe that she and Coop are where they are. A man she'd hated but accidentally agreed to meet for kinky sex six years ago had become the love of her life. In the past few years they'd been through a lot, but Charlotte is proud of the fact that in the end, it had only brought them closer together.

So, here she was, in this life she'd never envisioned for herself, and loving it.

Cooper sits down next to Charlotte, studying the content look on her face. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, and she leans into him. "You certainly won my mother over," Cooper tells his wife.

"It takes all the Freedmans a little while to warm up to me."

Charlotte goes back to watching Mason play, enjoying the feel of Cooper holding her tightly. "I've been thinking about something," she tells Cooper. "But you have to promise me that if I tell you that you won't laugh or say 'I told you so.'"

Cooper looks almost giddy at the chance to hear Charlotte admit something that will earn him an 'I told you so.' "What is it?" he asks.

"Promise first: no laughing."

"Okay. I promise. What is it?" He has that mischievous, childish look on his face that Charlotte can't help but find cute.

"I can't stop thinking about Mason being an older brother." Charlotte watches as Cooper's face changes, and his smile becomes one of pure joy and love. His eyes are welling with tears.

Cooper hadn't thought too much about babies recently, but he certainly still wanted them. He was so grateful that Charlotte loved Mason, that she had enthusiastically taken on the job of being a parent. Cooper had a family he adored, and if his wife didn't want to have any more children then he would have accepted that. He wasn't planning to push Charlotte on it. But here she was telling him that she wanted another child. That was too good to be true.

"You want to have another kid?" Cooper confirms with Charlotte.

"Not right now. I think Mason needs more time having all our attention. But, yeah, I want to have another child with you."

Cooper pulls Charlotte to him for a kiss. When he finally pulls away, he announces, "I cannot wait to knock you up."

Charlotte rewards him with a hearty laugh, and they both wonder: _How the hell did life get so good?_


End file.
